The fine is steep at $2,750 under a civil and criminal penalty.  Large enough to grab drivers attention.  The fine will definitely distract commercial drivers from text messaging while driving.

Anne Ferro, the Administrator for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), made it clear that this new regulation will avert unsafe behavior inside the cab and that the text messaging ban is under the FMCSA regulations umbrella.

FMCSA’s past research proves that drivers take their eyes off the road 4.6 seconds for every 6 seconds of text messaging.  In mileage, that’s a football field!  And those who text more than 20 times a day while driving, are 20 times more likely to create an accident than those who do not.  The statistics explains why actions were taken for banning text messaging while driving.

For those who would like to read the new text-messaging ban, it will be in print 1/27/10 in the Federal Register.  To follow the U.S. Dept. of Transportation progression to fight against drivers distracted while on the road, go to www.distraction.gov.  They have an aggressive agenda that will be an exciting piece of history to follow.

A recent study by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute found that truck drivers sending text messages from the road were 23 times more likely to crash or nearly crash than drivers who were not distracted. This is certainly something truck driving school students should avoid doing while driving. Making a habit of not doing it now will help you resist temptation when you’re out on the road later in life.

This Miami Herald report pointed out that six states require all drivers to use a hands-free device when making phone calls and at least 19 states have now banned all drivers from texting while behind the wheel. This information about state legislature came from the Governors Highway Safety Association.

The Virginia study outlined above seems to be the most quoted study on the issue but other studies have been conducted an arrived at similar or worse results. For example, some experts have said texting while driving is more dangerous than driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Drinking Alcohol while operating a tractor trailer is not permitted. It seems like in the short term the number of states banning text messaging while driving will most likely climb to a point where texting is also not permitted in all states.

When you graduate from truck driving school or even when you’re taking CDL training classes, remember not to text message while you drive.

The original Miami Herald article can be found at http://www.miamiherald.com/news/miami-dade/story/1337216.html